In the 4th century Empress Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine identified Kana as the Biblical site and had a church built in the town. An 8th-century tradition also associated Kfar Kana with Biblical Cana. In the 17th century, a papal emissary identified two possible locations for Biblical Cana – Khirbet Qana and Kfar Kana. On his journey to the Holy Land, he saw the remains of Helena’s 4th-century church and this reinforced the idea that Kana was Biblical Cana. In 1641 Franciscan monks established a presence in Kana and pilgrims journeyed to the town including St Jerome.  In 1879 a new Franciscan church was constructed on the remains of an earlier church.

In the Bible, the Gospel of John refers to Cana of Galilee several times. John 2:1-12 tells of Jesus’ visit to the town of Cana. Jesus, some of his disciples, and his mother, Mary were invited to a wedding in the Galilee town of Cana. This took place three days after Nathanael (Bartholomew)had become a disciple and Cana was Nathanael’s hometown. It seems that Mary was involved in helping to arrange the wedding feast. She noted that there was a shortage of wine and tells Jesus “They have no wine.”

Jesus replies to Mary saying: “Why is that a concern to me or you?” Mary leaves the matter at that and tells those organizing the feast to “Do whatever he (Jesus) tells you.” Jesus instructed the people to fill six stone water jars with water then he tells them to “draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” Unaware of the miracle that has occurred the master of the feast praises the quality of the wine saying: “you have saved the fine wine until now.”

This first miracle is significant in strengthening the disciples’ faith in Jesus. This event is also referred to as the first of Jesus’ signs and as his first public miracle. This first miracle is interpreted as showing us the sanctity of marriage and that the event should be celebrated. It teaches us that Jesus wanted to save the wedding party the embarrassment of not having enough wine to serve. Other biblical references to Cana include a later visit by Jesus when he is asked to heal the son of a nobleman (John 4:46-49). Cana is referred to in the Book of Joshua but it is unsure whether it refers to the same Galilee town of Cana.

Today visitors to Kana can see the Franciscan Wedding Church. This small church has a front courtyard and a modest façade adorned with angel sculptures. The façade is flanked by twin bell towers and the building is topped by a dome. The church has two floors; on the lower level, you can see the partial remains of a Byzantine mosaic from the 5th-6th century. There is a small museum displaying archaeological artifacts found in the area including a winepress, cistern, and vessels. One of the jars on display is believed to have been one of the original six jars used by Jesus when he created the wine. Excavations beneath the church uncovered 1st-century dwellings and the remains of an earlier church.

The Greek Orthodox Church of the Marriage Feast stands across from the Franciscan Wedding Church. This church holds two stone jars which some believe to be two of the original jars used by Jesus but they could also be early baptismal fonts. Not far from the modern town is the excavation site where the remains of ancient Cana have been uncovered. Remains have been found from the Roman, Greek, Byzantine, and early Arab eras.

Nearby Places

The appearance of Gabriel, his announcement, and Mary’s consent to be the mother of God is known as the Annunciation. There have been four earlier churches built here to mark this Biblical site, the earliest being a 4th-century Byzantine church followed by a Crusader church; a 14th-century Franciscan church, and the present church completed in 1969. You can still see parts of the previous churches incorporated in the present structure and the remains of Mary’s grotto home. Today the beautiful church is the city’s top attraction and attracts Christians from around the world that come to see the remains of Mary’s home and the magnificent church.

The present church was designed by Giovanni Muzio and completed in 1969. The Catholic Church has basilica status and is one of the largest churches in the Middle East. The Annunciation Church has two levels and reaches a height of 59.5 meters. The church has two levels an upper level and a lower level. At the heart of the lower level is the sunken Holy Cave or grotto, Mary’s former home and site of the annunciation. This is also the level where the remains of earlier Crusader and Byzantine churches can be seen. You can see a stone wall behind the cave which has survived from the Crusader’s 12th-century church. A Byzantine floor mosaic has survived from the 5th century.

In the grotto stands an 18th-century altar and alongside it stands an ancient column probably from the 4th century. A small staircase leads from the grotto to a smaller cave known as Mary’s kitchen and from there to the exit and the exterior yard. Directly above the Holy grotto is an octagonal opening beneath the copula so that people on the upper level can look down into the Holy grotto. Beneath the altar on the upper level is one of the world’s largest mosaics. Crowning the church is a beautiful concrete cupola created to resemble an inverted Madonna lily with its petals open. The lily is a symbol of Mary’s purity and of Nazareth. The dome is topped by a lantern that lets natural light into the upper level of the church. The upper church is used as the Nazareth Catholic parish church. 

In Mark 6:30-46 we read how Jesus and his disciples went out on the water to a remote site in search of some peace and quiet. Crowds of Jesus’ followers came after them and as night fell there was nowhere around to find food for the multitudes. To feed the crowd of five thousand people Jesus performed a miracle sharing the meager two fish and five loaves between all the people. Shortly after performing this miracle Jesus performed an additional miracle by walking on the water. The Biblical reference does not mention Tabgha by name but calls it a remote place on the shores of Galilee.

Today the Church of the Multiplication is a modern structure built on the remains of the 4th-century church. The highlight of the church is the Byzantine floor mosaic which survived after the original church’s destruction in 685. The mosaic near the altar shows two fish on either side of a basket of loaves. Other features of the mosaic are vines, lotus flowers, oleanders and animals including ducks, geese, doves, peacocks, cranes, herons, a swan and flamingo. In the church’s 5th century floor mosaic there seems to be a reference to the three original Byzantine water towers that once stood here. Beneath the altar of the Church of the Multiplication is a large rock where it is thought that Jesus placed the fish and loaves as he blessed them. There is a glass panel in the floor through which you can see the foundations of the original church. In the church courtyard you can see an excavated basalt stone font and oil presses.

The Church of St. Joseph is located in northern Israel in the city of Nazareth where Jesus grew up, the church is believed to be situated where Christ’s earthly father, Joseph once had his home and carpentry workshop. This would then have become the home of Mary as well following their marriage. The church is also known as the Church of Nutrition and the Church of Joseph’s Carpentry.

The location first became recognized as the home of the holy family in the 17th century when texts referred to it as “the house and workshop of Joseph.” The Church of Saint Joseph’s Carpentry is within the same complex as the Basilica of the Annunciation together with the Franciscan convent Terra-Santa. In the courtyard you can see architectural artifacts which were uncovered during excavation. Within the church which now stands at this location are several interesting stained glass windows and paintings depicting scenes involving Joseph.

There is the scene of Joseph and Mary’s wedding, Joseph dying in the arms of Jesus and Mary, a scene of Joseph showing Jesus how to work in the carpentry as Mary looks on and The Dream of Joseph. The present-day church was constructed in 1914 on what remained of a Crusader Church and this in turn was built on a series of caves. The caves were probably used for food storage in Biblical times and may have been where the workshop was situated. From the present-day church, there is a stairway going down to a crypt and through a grille in the floor where you can see the caves.

Further down there is a pool or basin measuring 2m², the pool has a black and white mosaic floor and is thought to have been a baptistery dating back to the 1st century AD. The floor mosaic depicts what appears to be a ladder perhaps symbolizing the spiritual elevation of new converts to Christianity. This indicates that Christians gathered here in Biblical times even before the town had official churches. It appears that the home, having been identified as the home of the Holy Family, was used for Christian worship during the Byzantine era. There are still further steps, which appear to be older, which reach a narrow passage that eventually opens up into a room. In this room are caves that have been carved into the limestone to be used for storage of grain and as water cisterns. This was a typical method of storage during the Roman era.

Yardenit is one of the traditional sites where Jesus could have been baptized. At Yardenit, where the Sea of Galilee flows into the southern Jordan River, steps and handrails have been provided so that Christian pilgrims can be baptized in the Jordan River safely. Christian pilgrims clad in white robes enter the river to the sound of prayers and hymns. The site has showers, restrooms, a restaurant and a gift shop.

During Jesus’ lifetime, Capernaum was a fishing village and home to the disciples, Andrew, John, James and Peter who were all fishermen as well as the tax collector, Matthew. The Bible tells us that Jesus left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum where he based himself while traveling to villages in Galilee to preach during a period of his life referred to as his ministry. Here in Capernaum, he saw the future disciples casting their nets into the sea and he called out to them to join him. In Mark 1:21 we head of how Jesus taught in the Capernaum synagogue. We also read of Jesus performing miracles in Capernaum. Jesus cured a man who was possessed; he cures Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever; cured a Roman centurion’s servant in Capernaum and cured a paralyzed man. Jesus must have spent a considerable amount of time in Capernaum as the Bible refers to it as “his own city.”  Later Jesus cursed Capernaum and its people because of their lack of faith (Matthew 11:23).